Supervisory Railroad Safety Specialist (MPE)

Clarification from the agency

FRA Modal - wide employees with competitive status only, including FAA employees eligible for competitive announcements through FAA's OPM Interchange Agreement.

As a Supervisory Railroad Safety Specialist (MPE), you will:

• Plan and assign work to employees and establish priorities. Develop ways to improve the quality and/or quantity of work produced.
• Provide technical advice and guidance on Motive Power & Equipment standards and practices to Railroad Safety Inspectors assigned to the district to promote uniform understanding and application of laws, rules, and regulations. Keeps their inspectors informed on the latest changes and new developments in Motive Power and Equipment regulations and new legislation affecting the railroad industry. The Supervisory Railroad Safety Specialist directs and guides Railroad Safety Inspectors in the examination of various railroad records and reports to monitor compliance with applicable regulations and laws.
• Review and evaluate the technical work of employees. Reviews inspectors' violations and inspection reports for correctness and completeness and determines if the information contained in their reports are sufficient for successful prosecution if the report is submitted to Chief Council's Office. Reviews complaint investigation reports, waiver reports, and accident reports for accuracy, completeness, and conformity to FRA policies and procedures. Furnishes information to higher headquarters representatives on these technical reports.
• Provide leadership to inspectors for achieving the objectives of the MP&E Division’s Inspection Plan. Gives guidance, as needed, on obtaining and analyzing safety database statistics used to develop and update the Plan and on completing Plan action items, such as task force inspections and focused safety activities.

An ideal candidate for this position is a mission-focused senior-level professional with excellent leadership skills that has experience providing guidance, interpretation, and enforcement of Federal Railroad Administration regulations and procedures concerning railroad Motive Power & Equipment standards and mechanical railroad employee safety for railroads.

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Conditions of employment

• Must meet specialized experience stated in Qualifications section.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for the Selective Service.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: This position involves travel.  A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You may be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
• DRIVER'S LICENSE: All Railroad Safety Inspectors are required to possess a valid state drivers license at all times while employed by the Federal Rail Administration (FRA) in order to perform the duties of their positions.
• DRUG TESTING:Tentatively selected candidates are required to undergo urinalysis in accordance with DOT 3910.1D entitled "Drug and Alcohol-Free Departmental Workplace", which includes testing for marijuana. Marijuana is legal in some states, however it’s still illegal at the federal level. Therefore, if selected for the position you will be required to submit to a pre-employment/pre-appointment drug test, you will also be subject to Random Drug Testing.
• MOBILE WORK: Duty station will be serving the geographical area of selection. The duty location for mobile worker could be your residence or other approved mobile work site(s) and is subject to management approval. You will be required to establish and maintain a residence in the same geographical area as the preponderance of work for this position. (Or within 50 commuting miles of your assigned duty location).

Qualifications

To be qualified for a Supervisory Railroad Safety Specialist (MPE), you MUST have demonstrated knowledge in ALL of the following areas:

• Knowledge of the railroad industry, including economic and operating considerations and equipment.
• Knowledge of the general safety and health principles and practices applicable to the railroad industry.
• Knowledge of railroad accident investigation techniques.
• Skill in written and oral communication.

To qualify for the grade GS-13, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-12, it must include:

• Experience conducting special investigations (including accident investigations and inspections) involving Railroad Motive Power and Equipment and Railroad Workplace Safety.
• Experience applying federal safety regulations (such as Title 49 CFR), safety standards, and/or statutory laws associated with motive power and equipment.
• Experience preparing technical reports, narratives, and/ or correspondence regarding railroad safety.

In addition, applicants for specialist positions must demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skills, and abilities for the specialization for which application is made to the degree required by the position. Only those elements required by the position to be filled, as identified below, will be used in evaluating candidates' specialized experience.

• Knowledge of the design, maintenance, or inspection of various types of locomotive and freight cars currently in use and their capabilities and limitations; AND
• Knowledge of the installation, maintenance, or testing of railroad safety appliances and power brakes, their capabilities and limitations; AND
• Knowledge of the applicable Federal laws and regulations pertaining to inspection and testing of locomotives, freight cars, safety appliances, and power brakes.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs):  Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

1. Compliance -Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance.
2. Accident Investigation- Knowledge of guidelines, regulations, and procedures associated with an Accident investigation including preservation of accident scene, root cause analysis, and evidence detection and handling.
3. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
4. Oral Communication- Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

For all types of consideration, experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social).  Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment.  You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

For additional information about applying to Federal positions, please click on the following link: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-policies/#url=e4

All applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. To receive full credit during evaluation, your assessment responses must explicitly point back to your resume, as HR cannot make assumptions about your experience. You must write your narrative answers in full paragraph format, beginning each response with the exact position title, organization, employment dates (MM/YYYY–MM/YYYY), full-time/part-time, average hours worked per week, and federal series/grade (if applicable) as listed on your resume. Within the paragraph, clearly describe your specific individual duties, actions taken, tools used, and measurable outcomes to prove your level of expertise. HR will cross-check your narrative against your resume; if your resume does not fully support every detail and timeframe claimed in your written response, the claimed experience will be disallowed, which may result in an ineligible determination.

Eligible Federal employees also seeking consideration for noncompetitive reassignment for this position, must indicate interest in the assessment. Noncompetitive federal candidates must have competitive status on a SF-50, meet minimum qualifications, have served at the same grade or higher, and held or exceeded the promotion potential of this position.

All applicants:  Your application will be reviewed in two phases determine how you move forward in the hiring process.  Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed.  Applicants passing “Phase I” will move on to the “Phase II” of the assessment process where your application will be reviewed and rated based on the KSAs/Competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).

• your most recent performance appraisal,
• the proof of eligibility letter from the Agency, and
• your most current SF-50, displaying current series and grade. 
• YOU MUST SUBMIT ALL 3 documents and meet the well qualified standards for this vacancy (meeting minimum requirements for position and scoring at least an 80) to be considered under CTAP.

Displaced employees may be eligible for CTAP priority consideration. For more information, please review the OPM Employee's Guide to Career Transition.

Failure to submit any of the required documents by the closing date of the vacancy will result in your removal from consideration for this position. Please review your application prior to final submission and ensure you have submitted all appropriate documents.  Uploading documents to USAJobs does NOT ensure inclusion with your application to our system.

 

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